Obvious differences are the i5 verses the i3 processors and the 128 verses the 64gb storage. So the SP 2 is better in both regards. If you are not doing intensive work the i3 will be fine and with the 64gb you may can get away with that as well but be aware that you will probably boot up with around 35 gb free. Once you install Office and other apps it will easily fall to 15-20 gb free within 6-8 hours of owning the i3 unit.

There is a way to remove the backup of the OS which should give you 6-8 gb back.

When you move past those 2 things there are several nice new features which give the SP 3 advantages over the SP 2.

I wouldn't recommend getting the 64gb version. I'd say the absolute minimum is 128. That way you can install all your apps on the ssd and if necessary you can install a micro SD card and keep your documents and other files there. Pricing of the 64gb card is very reasonable. I highly recommend the 128 version over the 64. You can always do things slower with the i3 vs the i5 but you can't install more internal hard drive space... only USB and micro SD after that, which is a lot slower... I mean a lot! If its USB then its a portability issue.

A bit off topic but relates to the last post. Has anyone tried out different SD cards and noticed a difference in speed of accessibility? I have used a Transcend 64GB and was pleased but was not sure if there was a lot of difference given the connection speed between the unit and the card itself. Thanks.

My 2 cents. Try and get the 128 if you can. I had an SP2 128GB and it made a big difference in comfort after I loaded all my "stuff". It also meant I did not need to be concerned with managing files. Knowing that going in is certainly beneficial, but knowing it is an immediate effect means you will always face the issue.

I bet if you take the AVERAGE person and give them the I3, I5, I7 with the normal use they would give it and ask them which was faster you may see that most times it doesn't make much difference. If you give them 64gb vs the 128 gb you see a much different thing after they use it for awhile. If you are only surfing the net and doing email then you have to ask yourself if you really need one in the first place. A lot of us getting them are work related.

The Connected Standby sounds nice. Do you think it will be pretty much bug free with the SP 3? I seem to remember different people experiencing sleep/hibernation and/or device waking up in the bag issues with the SP 2.

The Day 1 Firmware Update is designed to fix some of the issues that happened with the Demo Units. My experience with Connected Standby on x86/x64 is the more legacy Win32 software you load on it the more likely you'll run into issues that prevent it from entering into Connected Standby. The biggest culprits thus far are Anti-virus, legacy games, and anything that may install a TSR....

Probably the Metro Apps are not x64 though I could be wrong so how do they play into this equation since x32 apps can be a no no if we want a successful experience with Connected Standby?

And if Connected Standby is shaky out of the gate would this maybe be something better disabled until it becomes stable? I know it isn't time to cross that bridge yet but just asking...

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Modern UI Apps are whatever they are installed on, so our Modern Apps loaded on a x64 machine are x64, if we install them on an x86 32bit, they are x86 and if we install them on RT they are ARM (currently 32bit). What I'm talking about is legacy Win32 Programs circa Windows 7 and earlier, these titles were written for Desktop Computing not mobile computing, while the Connected Standby Power Management Driver is able to suspend most applications, some can rebel and refuse (especially legacy security software that behaves as if a piece of Malware is attempting to suspend it). Stick with newer titles and you will be fine.

To disable Connected Standby would require a registry hack. Also disabling Connected Standby would impact the battery life negatively.

I had no idea that the apps from the app store come across based on the machine they are being downloaded to, that's really cool! So I just need to make sure what programs I purchase outside of the store.

One other piece everyone is ignoring the i3 is a Connected Standby SoC which increase battery life, run cooler and quieter.....

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For the most part Connected Standby is just a fancy sleep where the main difference between Sleep (S3) and CS is that the latter keeps network connectivity ON in a very low power mode and has the ability to wake the system. The main (only?) reason it uses less power because the hardware is simply better and optimized for CS.

From "Introduction to Connected Standby":

The traditional Sleep (ACPI S3) state consumes 500 milliwatts or more of average power consumption to maintain memory in self-refresh and allow the platform to wake on user input. This gives the typical mobile system with a 45-watt-hour battery just under 100 hours of Sleep time on a full charge. However, Connected Standby systems use low-power memory and power-optimized embedded controllers to consume less than 150 milliwatts in most configurations. This allows the typical platform to remain in Sleep for 300 hours on a full battery charge—3 times longer than the traditional Sleep state.

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I have no way of verifying it, but I have every reason to believe if one were to test "Sleep" and "CS" on the *exact same hardware*, sleep would come out slightly ahead.